Greasy, Grimy, Gloppy Glue
by Was-Mokie
Summary: A mistake in judgement after a battle leaves the family shattered. Is there anything than can be done to fix their mistake? Or is it too late?
1. Chapter 1

Greasy, Grimy, Gloppy Glue

By:

Me

I own nothing, but myself.

It hurt to breathe. I adjusted myself weakly against the floor to try and get some comfort to breathe in deeply, but no matter how much I shifted the pain grew worse and my panting grew harsher.

"Get up. Got to get up. Ninjas don't quit. Turtles don't either. Move."

I strained as I tried to push myself up, but my strength had long waned. Again I slumped helplessly to the sewer floor. Tears pricked my eyes.

"I tried. I tried to stand on my own. I tried to prove all of you wrong. I failed again. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Emotions flared up as the image of Father entered my mind. My Father needed me. My brothers needed their Father. I would not fail in my mission. Again I pushed against the ground and pulled myself to my feet all the while cradling the prize in one of my fists. Stumbling, I walked further towards the lair.

"Keep going. Keep moving. You can do this. Go. Keep going."

Blood splattered around me as I continued moving forward. Finally, the lair's entrance entered my line of sight. The stairs caused me agony while I climbed and I gritted my teeth as I dragged myself over the ticket booths. I vaguely heard Leo and Raph arguing. Sounded like Raph still wanted to go topside and force the Kraang to give him the antidote while Leo wanted to keep everyone safe as Donnie figured out the poison's chemical make-up that was in the darts that had hit Splinter.

"Shut up!" Donnie hissed as he slammed his lab door open, "I have limited time to break down the poison! How can I concentrate when you two are…Mikey?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to me in shock. I stumbled forward as my three brothers remained frozen for several seconds before leaping towards me as my strength finally gave out. Raphael reached me first and barely caught me before my face slammed into the floor. I felt myself turned over and heard them screaming questions at me as I coughed up blood, but my eyes sought out my purple-banded brother.

"Here," I whispered as I held out my fist to Donnie, "T-take."

"What?" Donnie asked as he reached for what I held before gasping when I placed the vial in his palm, "Oh, God! Is this what I think it is? Mikey? Mikey!"

I had to pant for several seconds with my eyes tightly closed before I could open them again. My three brothers looked down at me as I coughed up more blood.

"Cure F-father. Tell him…I'm sorry. I'm…I'm so sorry, Bros," I choked out as the edges of my vision dimmed black before I knew no more.

OOOO

_Donnie's point of view:_

I gasped again when my baby brother lost consciousness cradled in Raph's arms. I was torn. Splinter needed this antidote, but Mikey looked like he was fading fast. How in the world had Mikey accomplished this? Had he gone against the Kraang on his own?

"Mikey!" Leo called as he hovered over our littlest brother in distress, "Don't go to sleep! Mikey, wake up!"

"Raph! Leo! Get Mikey into my lab," I ordered as I snapped to attention, "I'm going to inject Splinter with the antidote while you two get Mikey cleaned enough for me to see to his injuries. Hurry!"

"How do we know that this is really tha antidote?" Raphael asked as he pushed Leo away to scoop up the smallest turtle in the family.

"Mikey knew what he was doing," I snapped as I hurried after my red-banded brother with our limp, baby brother.

I snatched up a fresh, hypodermic needle and measured out the correct amount of antidote once in the lab while my other two brothers cleaned up Mikey as best they could.

"Wait," Leo interrupted as I went to inject our Father with the antidote, "How can you be so sure?"

"Because…" I whimpered as I gave Splinter the shot, "…I expressly told him exactly where the antidote was when the three of us were blaming him for Father having been hit by the darts. Now get out of my way! Mikey's breathing is labored and he is still internally bleeding judging by the blood that is still trickling from his mouth."

I watched as Raph and Leo backed up with blood soaked towels in their hands as I bent to assess our brother's condition. Mikey was covered in injuries and his freckles stood out even more against his too pale complexion. His orange mask was torn and frayed and hung by a thread on one side.

"He's goin' ta be okay, right?" Raph demanded as I slid a breathing mask that I had specially made over my little brother's lower face.

"Donnie?" Leo snapped as he watched me work, "Is Mikey going to be okay?"

"I don't know," I moaned as I continued to catalogue our baby brother's injuries, "Guys, it doesn't look good. Get out. I need to prep him for surgery. He's slowly drowning in the blood that is filling his lungs. Go!"

I barely noticed as Leo dragged a frozen Raphael out of the lab. I grabbed my supplies and saw that Father's vitals were improving dramatically.

"You did it, Mikey," I whispered as I began to treat his injuries, "You saved Father. Stay strong so I can save you now."

I had to blink back tears as I worked.

"I'm so sorry, Little One," I said down to my unnaturally still brother.

OOOO

_Leo's point of view:_

I had to drag my little brother out of the lab. Raph was frozen staring at Mikey in horror. I frog marched him out into the living room portion of our lair and pushed him onto the couch. I frowned when he remained docile and didn't lash out at me as he would normally have done on any other day.

"Raph?" I asked in concern as my hotheaded brother continued to stare ahead in silence, "Raph, answer me."

Raphael's green eyes turned and stared at me before he violently stood and flipped the couch.

"Did ya see him?" Raph demanded as he turned on me and trembled in anxiety and rage, "Did ya see our Mikey? What tha shell happened? Why did he…Leo?"

I shook as hard as my younger brother was shaking. I _did_ see him. I also remembered how the three of us had screamed at our baby brother after Splinter had shielded him from the Kraang attack. We were supposed to have been simply going to find some stupid bush that Father wanted for his birthday. The Kraang had appeared out of nowhere and Mikey had slipped and fallen during battle.

"God!" I gasped as I tried to breathe deeply and continued to spiral into a full-blown panic attack while my legs gave out on me, "My fault! I yelled at him. Raph, I screamed at Mikey that it was his focus that led to Sensei's poisoning. I told him none of us would have slipped because we would have been more aware of our surroundings. I was just so angry that Father had been hurt that…I…I just snapped."

"And I basically accused him of havin' murdered Splinter," Raph interrupted as he kneeled down beside my shaking form, "Donnie yelled at Mikey too. What have we done, Fearless?"

I was the leader. The eldest. The one responsible to protect. I had basically abandoned Mikey and the three of us had almost thrown him out of the family. I didn't even know when the tears started, but the next thing I knew Raph and I were sobbing up against one another. I could usually control my emotions, but not when it came to my baby brother.

"God, Raph," I sniffled, "Will he be okay?"

"I don't know," my first, younger brother answered as we leaned against one another and watched the lab door, "Our Donnie is the best. He'll help Mikey."

"Please help Mikey, Donatello," I prayed in my mind, "Save him."

OOOO

_Raph's point of view:_

Leo and I waited for several hours to hear something on Mikey's and Sensei's condition. Finally, Donnie exited his lab with a look of exhaustion on his face.

"Well?" Leo and I demanded at the same time as Donnie plopped down on the couch that we had set back in its original position.

Donnie sighed and looked forlorn.

"Come on!" I snapped losing my patience, "How are Mikey and Father?"

"Splinter's system has flushed out all of the poison thanks to the antidote that Mikey retrieved," Donnie stated before looking up sadly, "Mikey is not so lucky."

"Spit it out, Donnie," Leo urged with wide, frightened eyes, "How is he?"

"Mikey must have put up one shell of a good fight," Donnie explained looking towards the lab before turning back to us, "His right leg was fractured in two places and he is covered with cuts and bruises. I also treated several laser burns from Kraang weapons, but…."

"What, Donnie?" I demanded with impatience, "We already know that Mikey was bleedin' internally. What did ya find?"

"I had to drain his lungs," Donnie moaned as he shuddered while Leo put his arm across our younger brother's shoulders, "It looks like he was crushed or hit really hard on one side since I had to reset a lot of his right, rib cage. Mikey had to have a blood transfusion from the stockpile that I have been collecting over the last year from him for just such an emergency like I've done with the rest of us. Plus, he has a serious concussion. Mikey…he…Oh, God!"

Donnie burst into tears while Leo and I hugged our sobbing brother.

"Donnie?" Leo soothed, "What is it?"

"Mikey' heart stopped and then he slipped into a coma during the surgery!" Donnie wailed as Leo and I froze in horror, "His system is so depleted. Guys, there is a very strong probability that he will never wake up again."

My eyes widened as I fought to breathe in. No way. A life without the Knucklehead. No way.

"You're lyin'," I denied as I pulled away angrily before rushing into the lab.

I saw Father first. Splinter seemed to be sleeping normally instead of being in pain like I had seen him earlier. I turned and then saw my baby brother.

"No!" I whispered as I viewed his smaller frame.

Mikey was pale and had a tube down his throat to help with his breathing. He was covered in a blanket, but I could still see the outline of the cast that must have covered my brother's leg straight up to his hip under the covers. His arms and forehead were wrapped in bandages and the skin that showed was mottled with bruises. The rest of his bandages could be seen peeking out of the blanket he was covered with. Machines beeped around him measuring his heart rate and life readings.

"God," Leo voice breathed behind me as he and Donnie entered the lab, "Mikey. Oh, Little Brother, no."

"How do ya know he isn't just unconscious?" I argued as I gently lifted one of my baby brother's hands in my own, being very careful about the IVs.

"His brain waves prove that this isn't a natural sleep," Donnie choked out, "I'm amazed he made it home in his condition. Mikey must have been moving on pure adrenaline."

"Wake up, Baby Brother," I demanded as I squeezed his hand, "Wake up and yell at us for bein' bad brothers. Don't ya dare fall asleep on your job ta keep us together as a family. Come on, Mikey. Open your eyes."

Mikey didn't move a muscle. I trembled as my eyes filled with very rare tears. This wasn't right. Mikey was supposed to be cracking some kind of stupid joke or pulling a prank. The images of those blue eyes looking up at all of us in hurt and pain made my insides ache. It was not his job to have gone into Kraang headquarters alone.

"Raph," Leo interrupted my thoughts as he came over and removed my hand from Mikey's since I was beginning to squeeze too hard, "Stop. We've got to stay strong. Both Mikey and Father need us to keep it together."

I nodded and breathed deeply as I watched my oldest brother stroke Mikey's cheek and murmur apologies to our baby brother. Donnie was holding Mikey's ruined, bloody mask and quietly weeping.

"We f'd up bad," I moaned as I pulled Donnie into my arms to comfort my first, little brother, "We f'd up real bad."

OOOO

_Splinter's point of view:_

I awoke from a terrible dream. The Krang had been attacking my sons. My baby had slipped on a discarded, robot arm. Michelangelo had fallen right as our attackers fired a gun at my child. I remembered that this was no dream, but a memory.

"My son!" I cried out as I sat up quickly, "Michelangelo!"

"Father," I familiar voice answered me as I swayed before hands steadied me.

"Donatello?" I gasped as I looked up at him before noticing my two eldest hovering over me, "Leonardo. Raphael. Where are we?"

"We are in the lair," Leonardo answered, "You're safe."

I shook my foggy head before it dawned on me.

"Where is Michelangelo?" I demanded sitting up straighter in Donatello's arms, "Did I not make it in time? Where is my son?"

My three sons looked horribly exhausted and upset.

"He is dead?" I voiced in horror before calming when Leonardo shook his head violently.

"No, Sensei," my eldest began looking ashamed, "You shielded Mikey from the darts that were fired at him. The Kraang had that new type of poison that Donnie had found traces of and you ended up getting hit with darts filled with it. You were so sick and…."

"And, what?" I urged as Leo wrung his hands in anxiety.

My sons hung their head in sorrow.

"We got ya back to tha lair as quickly as we could," Raphael took up the story, "Donnie was able ta stabilize ya, but tha poison was fast actin'. Don realized that your heart would give out before he would be able ta figure out tha antidote and we all freaked."

"How does this apply to your youngest brother?" I asked beginning to hear a strange beeping that was coming from a different part of the lab.

"Well…" Leo began.

_Flashback:_

"You are the worst excuse for a ninja, brother, or son that has ever been!" I screamed as Donnie and Raph glared down at our sobbing, kneeling little brother, "The rest of us would have been aware of our surroundings! This could have been avoided if you had been paying attention!"

"I _was_ paying attention," Mikey denied looking pathetic with his eyes pouring tears, "I didn't see what I tripped on. I was trying to hold off three Kraang-bots at the time."

"So you screaming 'Booshakaya' every five minutes was your form of focus?" Donnie snapped, "Father should never have been in that fight! Now he is fading away in my lab and we cannot get to the antidote because it is locked in the middle of the Kraang headquarters! You heard the damn Kraang transmission like the rest of us, Mike! This chemical weapon attacks the nervous system and now Splinter is dying because of you!"

"I didn't ask to be shielded," Mikey stuttered in distress as his blue eyes turned imploring on the three of us, "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry ain't good enough!" Raph growled as he looked at the youngest in disgust, "Ya might as well have fired those darts inta Sensei yaself!"

Mikey gasped and looked at us in terror.

"I…I would never…" the orange-banded turtle began before I interrupted him.

"You are off the team!" I gritted out, "You are a burden and a hindrance to this entire family. You will never be able to stand up on your own and be a formidable warrior. If we lose Father, I will mark you as my enemy!"

"That goes for me as well!" Raph agreed as Donnie nodded and glared hatefully at our little brother.

_End of flashback:_

My eyes widened in disappointment at my baby's treatment. Michelangelo ever tried to seek his brother's approval. Their words must have crushed his spirit.

"Mikey burst into tears and then ran and locked himself in the bathroom after that," Leonardo continued, "We all ignored him while Donnie tried to make an antidote to cure you. That night he left the lair, but at the time, I didn't care."

"Where is he?" I asked with my "Sensei" voice.

"Here," Donatello whispered in clear distress, "Father, Mikey somehow broke into the Kraang's headquarters. He…he got the antidote, but was horribly out numbered. Mikey was hurt really badly. We have no idea how he got out or how he even made it back."

I gasped and began to rise in my alarm. Hands tried to push me back down, but I pushed them away as I stood up unsteadily.

"Sensei, you shouldn't be up so soon," my third son said before growing silent at my look.

"Where is my son?" I gritted out before my sons sprang apart and assisted me to my youngest's bedside and I froze at the sight, "Oh, Michelangelo."

My most vibrant child lay still in the bed with machines keeping him alive. The tube running down his throat was almost my undoing. I reached with my mind and found only emptiness within him.

"His condition?" I snapped as Leonardo assisted me into a chair so I could take up Michelangelo's hand in my own.

"Broken ribs which led to internal bleeding," Donatello stated, "Broken leg, lacerations, bruises, there was trauma to his internal organs, and laser burns. A very serious concussion."

"You are holding something back," I urged as my three sons looked at me sadly, "I cannot feel your brother's spirit as clearly as I should."

"Mikey lost a lot of blood and I had to operate," Donatello continued, "He slipped into a coma during the surgery after his heart stopped. That was three days ago. I don't know if Mikey will wake again, Father. He is getting more and more reliant on the machines that are keeping him alive."

Coma? My child was in a coma? I closed my eyes to hide the horror I felt. Disappointment and rage bubbled within me before I was able to push the feelings back down.

"Sensei, I am so sorry," Leonardo sniffled as he wiped at his wet eyes, "We all are. _None_ of us meant for this to happen to Mikey. I wouldn't let Raph charge into the Kraang headquarters. I never thought Mikey would go on his own."

"You allowed emotions to dictate you," I stated coldly since I wasn't feeling very charitable at the moment, "You made my right of a Father to sacrifice myself for my child into a meaningless action. I would have done the same for any of you and I know that you all would do the same for one of your brothers."

My three sons hung there head as their shoulders shook. I smelled the salty tears, but this was a lesson that needed to be harsh.

"Acting as a team means supporting all of the members," I continued, "Mikey tripped over a robotic arm that was kicked from behind him right when he took a step backwards. He slipped due to an accident and not due to negligence. I only hope that you might have the opportunity to apologize to your brother one day. I can tell you from firsthand experience what it feels like to rue your actions that led to the death of ones you love. Leave me. I wish to be alone with Michelangelo."

My eldest sons left the lab quietly as I watched over the still turtle in the bed.

"How well you must have fought," I whispered down to Michelangelo as I stroked his hand gently, "You did well in protecting your family. Now it is time to open your eyes and come back to us. Come back to me, Child. Please come back to me."

I allowed myself to break down and weep when my littlest's spirit didn't even flicker at my words.

OOOO

_Donnie's point of view:_

I sighed as I stretched to get a kink out of my back. I had been researching to discover everything I could on coma treatment over the last few days. Our sweet, little Mikey had been in a coma for a full week now and most of his bruises had blackened and finally begun to fade. I had been forced to place a feeding tube down one of my brother's nostrils to get nutrients into his system. I hated seeing all the machines, tubes, and wires hooked up to him.

"Mikey, it is not right for you to look like this," I thought to myself as I looked over at the limp turtle.

I watched as Leo gently sponged warm water on the areas of our baby brother that were not covered with bandages to keep his skin moist.

"There we go, Mikey," Leo spoke as he continued to diligently work, "I bet you that feels a lot better. Cracking skin isn't very fun to deal with, huh? Your big brothers are going to make sure that your skin doesn't crack at all while you heal and get better. We miss you so much, Bro."

My eyes burned when my youngest brother stayed still and silent. A hand on my shoulder made me look up as Raph walked further into the lab with a bowl of ice chips. Our hotheaded brother was a lot more withdrawn now and spent every waking moment assisting with Mikey.

"That's good, Raph," I encouraged when I saw him tenderly running an ice chip over our little brother's cracked lips while Leo seemed stuck in his thoughts before startling when Raph nudged him gently with an elbow.

I watched as Leo shook himself before moving the bowl of water onto my desk. He'd been blanking out quite a bit lately.

"When will ya be able ta take tha tube out of Mikey's throat?" Raph asked as he continued to treat the split skin, "This damn tube is dryin' out his lips somethin' fierce."

"I don't know," I admitted as I walked up and checked some of the reading on the machines that were helping my brother as he slept, "Mikey is still not breathing on his own. Without the tube…."

"Don't say it," Leo interrupted looking pained, "Just…just tell Raph and I how we can help."

I stroked a finger down my baby brother's cheek before shaking myself.

"Let's change his bedding," I began as I pushed the railing down on one side of my little brother's bed, "Leo, you and Raph bring the cot Splinter was laying on as close to the bed as possible. We are going to have to work together to move Mikey without hurting him or unhooking him from one of the machines he is hooked up to. Be extra careful with his casted leg."

The three of us worked together and gently moved or brother to his new resting place. I was surprised to see Splinter walk in with fresh bedding.

"Father?" Leo asked.

Splinter had not been talking with us as much as he usually did these days. Though he assured us that we were forgiven for our atrocious behavior, there was a wall that had been erected between us and our Sensei.

"I see that you three had the same idea that I had, my sons," Splinter explained as he bent to check on Mikey before going and stripping the sheets off of the scavenged hospital bed that Leo and Raph had located in an abandoned, senior center.

I remember how the three of us had carefully cleaned and sanitized the bed before using Mikey's old mattress out of his room to cradle our baby brother while he slept so deeply.

"Thought it would be good for him," I agreed as Leo and I assisted our father to remake the bed.

I looked over Leo's shoulder and watched Raph stroking Mikey's plastron as he squatted next to the cot. It was heartbreaking to watch and I couldn't help another sigh that escaped me.

Splinter looked over at me before beckoning for us to place our little brother onto the newly made bed. I sat the head of the bed up a little more.  
"Why are you doing that?" Leo asked.

"Can't keep Mikey in the same position all the time," I explained as I went to support Mikey's broken leg, "I don't want him to start developing any bedsores."

Leo and Raph blanched before combining their strength to lift Mikey back into bed.

"There we go, Child," Splinter said to Mikey as he adjusted him so he could be more comfortable before sitting on his usual stool beside of our little brother, "Your muscles will feel better to sit up a little. I have brought a book that you will enjoy hearing while your brothers go eat and practice in the dojo."

We were being dismissed. The three of us left the lab so that Splinter could have some time with our brother. We wandered into the kitchen and sat looking numbly at the place that our baby brother would usually be humming away as he whipped up one of his weird, yet tasty, dishes. None of us had been eating very well since this whole fiasco had begun.

OOOO

_Leo's point of view:_

I looked at my two, despondent, little brothers. Donnie had thrown himself into researching if there was any advances in bring people out of comas and Raph…Raph was just…lost.

"Lunch time," I announced as I stood to peer into the fridge, "What do you two want?"

Don and Raph looked at me blankly before looking at one another. This would have been the time that our baby brother would have piped up and said something along the line of "something not burnt to a crisp, Dude." My two younger brothers locked eyes with me as we sighed as one.

"Who'da ever thought we would miss tha little Knucklehead's smart-butted comments, huh?" Raph groaned as he looked back towards the door of the lab.

None of us answered for a moment as we thought back on our roles in allowing this to happen.

"I'll cook," Donnie stated as he stood, "I guess none of us will be able to help our brother if we don't eat something. Mikey…he wouldn't want this for any of us."

I had to sit before my knees would give out. Donnie was right. Mikey always tried to look out for all of us in his own unique way. I watched as the purple-banded turtle unconsciously ended up making our little brother's favorite meal besides pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. I was startled to feel Raph lean his head against my arm as we watched Donnie work. This was completely out of character for the red-banded turtle.

"Are you okay?" I asked my emerald-eyed brother while Don looked back at us in concern.

"Fine," Raph grunted as he remained leaning against me, "Little tired. Stayed up too late readin' Mikey his comic books. Was hopin' he'd sit up and tell me ta say tha voices right like ya do when he cons ya inta readin' for him."

I nodded as I laid the side of my head on top of his. I would have loved it if Mikey had done that as well. I again felt myself drifting like I had been doing a lot lately. I guess my baby brother's condition was affecting my concentration levels. I was startled when Raph nudged me once again today and I came back to myself. We both sat back up as Donnie laid a plate in front of each of us. We ate, but it was mechanical and not at all satisfying. I frowned when I saw how little my other two brothers had really eaten.

"Oh, no you don't," I denied as I grabbed the tails of Donnie's and Raph's masks as they tried to rise, "Eat some more. You barely touched your lunches."

Both squawked and grumbled as they began to pick at their food. Donnie should have been rattling off facts to me about the actual proportion of food that is necessary to survive and Raph should have blown up into Mt. Fuji, but both merely forced a few more bites down before stomping into the dojo.

"Wake up, Mikey," I pleaded in my mind to my brother, "This family will fall apart without you. We need you."

I entered the dojo to see Raph and Donnie half-heartedly stretching. I thought for a moment and then walked over to kneel in front of them and bowed low to the ground.

"Fearless?" Raph questioned from above.

"I failed as a leader," I admitted as I remained bowed, "I led that argument against Mikey. It was my having lost control that opened the floodgates for the two of you to vent on our little brother with me. Everything said was stated out of anger and not out of truth. This is my fault."

I heard Donnie gasp before I was roughly yanked to my feet by Raphael.

"No!" Raph yelled as his eyes filled with angry tears, "This is the fault of us all, Bro. Don't ya dare try ta take on all of this responsibility all by yaself."

"Raph's right," Donnie agreed as he got into a kneeling position and looked down, "We were all so upset that Splinter was hurt that we needed to blame something and unfortunately, that something was our Mikey."

"Can you imagine how hurt he felt at our words?" I finally asked as I leaned against Raph seeking comfort that he easily gave much to my surprise.

Raph eased us both to the matted floor. Donnie crawled up and leaned against Raph's other side. We stayed like that until we finally drifted into an exhausted sleep.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Greasy, Grimy, Gloppy Glue

By:

Me

I own nothing, but myself.

_Splinter's point of view:_

I rubbed a hand over my youngest's cheek as the sounds of his heartbeat and assisted breathing washed over me. I put a bookmark in the story and closed the book.

"We'll finish the rest of this tomorrow, Michelangelo," I instructed as I leaned over and pressed a kiss to the still turtle's bandaged forehead, "Let me go and check on your brothers. You rest."

I pulled his blanket up and tucked him in a little tighter. Donatello had warned me that my baby would have a lot of trouble regulating his temperature while he was in the coma which could lead to a life-ending illness. The whole family was determined to keep this from happening so there were heat lamps set up all around the bed. I walked into the dojo and froze at seeing my three, eldest sons huddled asleep in the middle of the room. All three looked miserable and exhausted. I must have made a noise because my oldest son sat up quickly and shielded his younger brother's before focusing on me.

"Father?" Leonardo murmured as he rubbed at his eyes and pushed his blue mask up for a moment.

I frowned as I noticed the dark circles under his blue eyes. Raphael and Donatello sat up and looked as bad as their brother. They must have misinterpreted my frown to mean that I was angry because they jumped to their feet.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Leonardo immediately apologized, "We'll get right to our training now."

"Yamete**-**kudasai (Stop)," I called out as the three froze before dropping to kneel before me, "You three will go to your rooms and go to sleep. You are exhausted."

"But…" Donatello began only to grow silent at the shake of my head.

"Sleep," I ordered, "You cannot help your brother without the proper amount of rest. You three have pushed yourselves too far."

My sons looked at one another before bowing low to ground before me. Their actions startled me greatly.

"We have shamed you and the Hamato name," Leonardo spoke, "We have behaved in the worst possible way to one of your sons, clansman, and our brother. Words cannot express how sorry the three of us feel for what we did to Mikey. Our words and actions were thoughtless and spoken to inflict pain."

"A hard lesson to learn, isn't it?" I inquired as I also kneeled before my bowing children, "Rise and look at me."

Leonardo and Donatello did as I asked, but Raphael refused to move a muscle.

"Rise, Raphael," I ordered again before frowning when my most wild-spirited son shook his head and remained in his bow.

"I'm a horrible brother!" Raphael growled out as his whole torso trembled, "I accused Mikey of bein' a murderer! I have no right to bear tha Hamato name."

"Watashi o mite (Look at me)," I softly voiced as I rested a hand on the back of my kneeling son's head as I urged him to rise and look into my face.

It broke my heart to see such despair in those emerald eyes as he finally sat back up. All three of my sons looked ready to fall apart. My three eldest only ever truly lost grip on their anguish when it involved our baby.

"Raph, I told Mikey that I would mark him as my enemy if Father died," Leonardo interjected as I tuned back into reality, "I have as little right to the Hamato name as you."

"Nor do I," Donatello agreed as he hung his head in sorrow.

"Enough," I barked making my sons look to me in alarm, "The mistakes have been made. You have disgraced yourselves completely."

It hurt to see my three sons wince as my words hit home.

"That does not mean that you three are still not just as precious to me as before this ever happened," I assured my children, "You must make your wrong right again. Never allow your emotions to get the better of you in the future. Blaming can only lead to mistakes being made in regards to your team. Cleanse the dishonor on your names by being there for Michelangelo to heal."

"Father, do you think Mikey will forgive us?" Donatello sniffled out as he wiped an arm across his eyes.

"He will," I soothed, "Your brother has a heart bigger than most. Michelangelo adores you three."

"What if he doesn't wake up?" Leonardo asked making me stiffen.

"Never say such a thing!" I snapped making my eldest shy away fearfully before I took a deep breath and pulled Leonardo into my arms, "I'm sorry, Child. I refuse to believe that Michelangelo will not come back to us. My heart cannot even think of that possibility."

My blue-banded son buried his face into my neck as he silently sobbed against me. I reached for my other two sons and held them as they too expressed their grief through tears. The four of us had needed to have this discussion days ago. This had been a very hard lesson on the realities of life for ones so young and my oldest sons were taking their brother's condition very hard indeed.

"Go sleep," I ordered as the three turtles calmed and looked up at me, "I will meditate here while you get some rest. Never forget that I love you, my sons."

"Love you too," my children echoed as they stood to go sleep.

I tried to meditate, but my mind was too fractured. After an hour, I finally gave up and went to check up on my youngest. I was surprise to find all three of my sons in the lab sound asleep. Donatello was asleep on the cot and Leonardo was asleep on a futon on the floor. Raphael was asleep on the stool with his head lying on the bed next to Michelangelo as he held his little brother's hand.

"You are much loved, Child," I whispered to the baby of the family as I eased a blanket over Raphael's shoulders, "Do not give up on the life you are leading. We love you too much to lose you."

OOOO

_Raph's point of view:_

One week turned into a month and then a month turned into two months. Mikey hadn't woken once, but most of the bandages had finally been removed except for the cast on his leg. He had twitched his hands a few times. It had been heartbreaking the first time to hear from Donnie that this was normal reflexes. I still remembered how disappointed Leo and I had been when Donnie had opened one of Mikey's eyes to check if he would react to the penlight our brother was shining down into the blue orb. There had been no reaction at all.

"Time for your Jane Fonda," I said to my baby brother as I pulled the blankets down, "I'm goin' ta make ya sweat today."

Each of my brothers had taken on the responsibilities for caring for Mikey. Donnie did all the medical check-ups. Father and I did physical therapy with my baby brother to keep his muscles supple so he wouldn't suffer from atrophy. Leonardo cleaned Mikey daily to keep his skin moist. We all spoke, read, and joked with him trying to entice him back from his deep sleep. Nothing had worked so far.

"I got a surprise for ya," I informed Mikey as I pulled out his headphones and gently placed them over his ears, "Brought ya your tunes, Bro."

I pushed play on the rebuilt ipod and then began the physical therapy on my brother. I worked diligently and messaged and worked Mikey's unbroken leg and arms. I barely registered when Donnie came in about an hour later and began to check all of Mikey's machines for his vital signs. I stopped when my younger brother gasped as he looked down at a printout.

"What?" I asked as Donnie looked up at me and then back down to our brother before his eyes widened and he beamed happily.

"The music!" the Genius exclaimed before running to the door, "Leo! Master Splinter!"

I felt a bit miffed and confused as our eldest brother and Father hurried into the room.

"What is it?" Leo demanded looking to Mikey only to wilt.

I knew that he had hoped that our baby brother had woken from his coma.

"Raph is a genius!" Donnie cheered making the rest of us look at him blankly, "This is the first time I've seen actual brain waves showing good awareness. Mikey is hearing the music that Raph is playing for him!"

I looked up with wide eyes before looking back down at my baby brother. Finally, a glimmer of hope.

"That is wonderful news, Donatello," Splinter sighed out before turning to me, "Good job, Raphael."

I glowed at the praise. It felt good to have done something that had made a difference. I had stayed focused while Leo had been drifting into his own world a lot. I was ashamed to say that I felt a little superior for a change. Leo smiled happily at me before leaning back down towards our littlest brother and pulling one side of the headphones away from one ear.

"You listen to that music, Baby Bro," Leonardo gently ordered as he stroked one of Mikey's freckled cheeks, "Remember that this world has so much more for you to see, hear, and do. It's time to wake up now."

OOOO

_April's point of view:_

I had been on a trip with my Aunt for the past three months. I was not prepared for what I was to find when I returned. My adopted, little brother Mikey had been hurt so bad by the Kraang that he had slipped into a coma while I was gone. His brothers told me what I knew was an edited version of what happened. There was more to the story that I wasn't being told.

"Hi, Mikey," I chirped as I entered the room where the still turtle lay, "How are you doing today? I came to visit you and bring you some of the next editions to your favorite comic books."

Donnie had explained to me that over a month ago Mikey's mind had responded to music for a while, but then he had developed a high fever that had nearly killed him. After the family had worked together, they had finally gotten the fever to break, but Mikey's brain waves hadn't reacted to any outside stimuli since.

"Hey, April," a worn-looking Raph greeted me from beside his brother as the red-banded turtle held Mikey's hand in his own.

"Hi, Raph," I greeted back before studying the still turtle on the bed.

Mikey had lost a lot of weight since I saw him last. The youngest of the brothers had cracked lips and seemed to be alive by machines alone. It hurt to see Mikey looking so frail and vulnerable.

"Don't look at him that way," Raph growled softly as he reached for a wet cloth and began to moisten his brother's dry lips, "Mikey is a tough, little fella. He's goin' ta be fine. My bro hates pity."

I nodded mutely before jumping when a hand descended on my shoulder from behind. I turned to see Donnie looking at me sadly. I watched as Leo entered the room and urged Raph to switch places so that his brother could go eat and wash up. It was heartbreaking to see the usual hothead simply rise and give Mikey a small peck on the forehead before pushing past Donnie and I to exit the room.

"Sorry about Raph," Leo said as he cradled Mikey's hand that Raph had been holding, "We are all a bit sensitive about our baby brother at the moment given the circumstances. Raphael has taken this very hard."

"Has there been any improvements in his condition at all?" I asked as Donnie began to look over the machines hooked up to Mikey.

I swallowed when the purple-banded turtle looked defeated when he read all the readings.

"What is it, Donnie?" Leo demanded.

"I…" the taller turtle stuttered before looking at us with moist eyes, "Mikey's brain waves have fallen further. He is completely dependent on machines to keep him alive."

"What does that mean?" I interjected slowly realizing where my friend was going in his statement with a feeling of dread.

"Donatello!" Leo snapped as he locked eyes on his brother.

"Leo, Mikey's readings show that his brain is shutting down," Donnie stated as he began to sob, "We've lost him! We've lost our baby brother!"

I was horrified and put my arms around Donnie to comfort him as best as I could. This couldn't be possible.

"You're wrong," Leo denied as he stood off the stool looking devastated before looking back down at his baby brother, "Mikey, wake up! Wake up and prove that Mr. Know-it-all is wrong. You'd never leave us. Please wake up, Baby Bro. We need you."

"What is going on here?" a voice said from the doorway.

_Splinter's point of view: _

I walked into Donatello's lab sensing a disturbance. I found April comforting my second, youngest son as the purple-banded turtle wept openly. Leonardo looked devastated and angry. I scanned Michelangelo expecting to see that I had finally lost my baby, but he was still breathing and I could still hear the slow beeps that registered his heart rate.

"What is going on here?" I said announcing my presence even as I sensed Raphael moving into the room as well.

"What's up?" my red-banded son asked before frowning when he noticed how upset his brothers seemed to be, "Spit it out!"

"Enough, Raphael," I corrected before looking back to Leonardo and Donatello, "Explain."

"Donnie is upset because he's wrong!" my usually calm son snapped as he glared hatefully at his younger brother.

"I'm not wrong," Donatello denied, "I wish to God that I was, but I'm not, Leo!"

I was a bit confused and wasn't quite sure how to proceed.

"Why don't we all go sit outside in the living room area and talk?" April suggested.

I nodded and urged my sons from the lab. I watched as Leonardo looked back over his shoulder at Michelangelo with a soul full of pain which was similar to the pain I was picking up on from Donatello. Again, I checked my baby and found him to be the same as before.

"I'll return soon, Child," I informed my youngest as I closed the door behind me and went to take a seat on a chair that I had claimed to be my own near the couch.

Donatello continued to sniffle as Leonardo looked resentfully at him. Raphael just looked confused and turned to April to get an answer.

"Tell me what is going on," I ordered as I looked to Donatello for the answers.

"I've been tracking Mikey's progress," my purple-banded son began, "Ever since the fever, Mikey has been declining in his brain wave activities."

I sucked in a breath of horror as I leaned forward to urge my son to continue.

"It…it pains me to inform everyone that Mikey's brain is shutting down," Donatello stuttered out, "He…he's slipped too far into his coma."

"What does that mean?" Raphael gritted out.

"The only thing that is keeping our baby brother alive is the machines he is hooked up to," Donatello admitted as tears ran down his face, "Mikey's…Mikey is gone. What is left is just a living shell."

I leaned back as all the air seemed to be sucked from my lungs. Gone? My baby was gone?  
"No!" Raphael denied as he stood looking mutinous, "You're wrong!"

"Yamete**-**kudasai!" I snapped making everyone freeze, "Donatello, are you certain?"

"Positive," my second youngest sobbed out, "We…we are going to have to decide whether or not we keep Mikey hooked up to life support. Eventually his organs will begin to shut down and he will be in pain."

Leonardo looked up horrified at the thought of his baby brother suffering. Raphael on the other hand exploded in rage.

"Shell no!" Raphael roared as he stood up violently while his eyes seared us from his glare, "Ya ain't talkin' about killin' my baby brother, Donatello!"

"You think I want this?!" my usually more passive son screamed at his older brother, "Do you think I want to be the turtle to tell our father and my brothers that Mikey is dead inside of his mind?!"

"Mikey ain't dead!" Raph yelled back, "He's in your lab and he's goin' ta get better!"

"Raph, I want to believe that as much as you," Leonardo said as he stood and faced his livid brother, "I wanted to deny it too, but Donnie wouldn't lie about this. Our Mikey is gone. We have to face the facts that we failed our baby brother."

"Failed Mikey?" April questioned as I closed my eyes to calm my thoughts.

"Miss O'Neal?" I called out making the teen look up at me, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. My sons and I need to have a family meeting. Do not worry. Donatello will call you soon to let you know everything. My sons and I just need some time."

OOOO

_Raph's point of view:_

Numbly I listened as my family debated on pulling the plug on Mikey's life support for nearly an hour. What the hell was wrong with the ones I had grown up with my whole life? What the shell were they thinking?

"So that's it, huh?" I heard Fearless say, "We're…we're going to let Mikey…God! Mikey is going to leave us tomorrow?"

I looked over at Father and watched as rare tears dripped from his eyes. This would be the second child he had lost in his lifetime.

"It would be best not to prolong Michelangelo's suffering," Splinter choked out, "We can all have time to say our…our goodbyes."

I looked over at Donnie and watched as he continued to cry silently as he hugged himself for comfort. Leo looked lost and hopeless and then his eyes blanked out again. No. No. No. No! _No_! **NO!**

"No way in shell!" I screamed as I tore off the couch, ran into the lab, and locked the door.

I heard voices call out my name as I began to pile furniture in front of the door. They weren't getting in here.

"Raph! Open this door!" Leo shouted as he banged on the locked door and rattled the doorknob.

"You guys are not killin' my baby brother!" I denied as I finished barricading myself in the lab to protect Mikey, "Go screw yourselves!"

"Raphael, you open this door immediately," Sensei ordered and continued to call out to me, but I tuned out his voice as I turned and looked at my little brother lying quietly in his bed.

"I'll protect ya, Mikey," I swore as I walked over and pushed the railing down on one side of the bed to sit next to my brother, "I failed ta protect ya before, but I ain't makin' that mistake twice."

I gently rubbed the side of my little brother's face and hummed a lullaby that I had heard Sensei sing to Mikey when he was a little tot. Nobody was going to take my brother from me. Nobody!

OOOO

_Donnie's point of view:_

Fresh tears filled my eyes as I heard the humming coming from my lab. Raph was humming our baby brother's favorite lullaby. Leo heard as well and turned around to slide down to the floor to pull his knees up against his chest. I sat beside him as he began to sob silently to himself. I was surprised to see Father kneel before us and pull the two of us into a hug.

"There are no words to describe losing a loved one," Splinter whispered as my older brother and I continued to cry out our grief against Father's chest, "Raphael's heart is in the right place, but I fear that Michelangelo's passing will drive him over the edge without us to guide him. We should allow him time to come to terms with his brother's condition."

"It's not fair," I whimpered as I turned my eyes up to Splinter, "Why Mikey? He's never done anything to hurt anybody. All his actions were to protect others. Why did we have to act like such…asses to our little brother? Why?"

"You three made a mistake and it cost you dearly. Life is not always fair, Donatello," Splinter answered sadly.

"Life sucks," Leo gasped out as he leaned back and kept his head down, "I hate this! I hate what is happening, but more than anything…I hate myself for allowing this to happen!"

"Do not be like this," our Father instructed, "Your little brother would not want you to feel this way and would do everything in his power to cheer you up if he was here. Be strong in honor of Michelangelo's love and loyalty to his family."

Leo and I both sat up on our own and nodded at our Father. Splinter excused himself to go and try to meditate to come to terms with his grief. There were no words. Leo and I just leaned against one another as we listened to Raph's humming. Hours, days, what felt like an eternity went by as we became lost in our own thoughts. I looked over at Leo and saw that his eyes had gone blank again like he was far away in his mind. I had been noticing this happening to Leo more and more lately.

"If Raph keeps himself locked in there, what will happen to Mikey?" Leo asked out of the blue making me startle in surprise.

"His IVs will run out," I began to list out, "Raph has a small supply of liquid food for his feeding tube, but only enough for a couple of days. I will need to reset a lot of the machines by tomorrow morning or Mikey's vitals will drop."

"Ah," Leo numbly nodded before assisting me to my feet, "Go to the dojo."

"What? Why?" I questioned in confusion.

"Let me talk to Raph alone," my oldest brother instructed looking back at the lab door, "I think he will only listen to reason if he and I are alone."

OOOO

_Leo's point of view:_

I watched as Donnie left the room before turning to gaze sadly at the door. Raph. Hotheaded, temperamental, wild, younger brother of mine, how clearly tenderhearted you truly are is astounding to know.

"Raph?" I called out as I knocked softly at the door, "Little Brother, open the door."

"I ain't openin' tha damn door!" I heard Raph growl from inside of the lab.

"You can't stay in there forever," I reasoned.

"You guys still thinkin' of killin' Mikey?" Raph demanded and at my obvious silence he snorted loudly, "Go away, Fearless."

I sighed and slid down the door to sit on the floor with my back to the lab.

"Do you remember when Mikey got lost in the sewers when he was four?" I asked and heard my brother grunt in acknowledgement, "You and I knew that Father would be angry, but we took off to find our baby brother together."

"I remember," I heard from inside the lab, "Found Mikey sobbin' in fright. He'd twisted his ankle and was scared of tha dark. Took us forever ta calm tha Knucklehead down."

"You and I promised our baby brother that we would never allow him to suffer in pain alone on that day," I reminded.

"Mikey's not alone," Raph denied, "I'm here for him just like I promised."

"He can't feel us near him any longer," I stated with a lump in my throat, "Mikey's body is going to begin to shut down on its own soon. It's time to do the right thing by our brother and let him go."

"No," Raph disagreed, "Mikey will wake up when he heals."

"Mikey is not going to heal, Bro," I moaned as tears fell from my eyes, "He's gone, Raphael."

Silence was the only thing that greeted my words for several minutes.

"Go away!" Raph yelled making me twist to look at the door as I heard the hurt in my brother's voice, "Ya're lyin'!"

I dropped my head in my hands as I heard my first, younger brother begin sobbing in guttural cries of pain. Raph never allowed anyone to see or hear him cry. It sounded like Raph's heart was being torn apart.

"I'm so sorry, Mikey," I thought to myself as I cried along with my brother, "This should never have happened to you."

OOOO

_Donnie's point of view:_

I had heard the whole conversation between my two oldest brothers. I crept from the dojo to come and sit beside Leo. My blue-banded brother didn't say a word. He simply allowed me to cuddle up against him as we listened to Raph's grief until everything grew quiet again. Hours went by and still the lab door remained shut.

"What is he going to accomplish if Mikey passes away due to lack of proper care?" I finally snapped as I stood.

Leo blinked up at me from one of his blank-outs before accepting my hand to help him stand. I turned and went out to collect some tools that I kept out near our vehicles.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked as I walked back into the living room and straight up to the lab door.

"I'm getting this damn door open," I gritted out as I went to work on prying the bolts out of the hinges with a screwdriver, "Brace the door. Thank God the hinges of my lab door are on the outside or we'd never get this door open."

Finally, I had quietly been able to undo each hinge. Leo and I worked together to lift the door out of the sill. I blinked when a wall of furniture and mechanical devices met our sight.

"Are you kidding me?" I whispered with wide eyes to my big brother.

"Raph never has done anything half way," Leo whispered back.

I peeked through a hole in the barricade and saw that Raph had fallen asleep on our baby brother's bed with Mikey cradled up against him. My eyes burned with tears and I saw Leo blanch when he also saw our brothers. Carefully, he and I began to undo Raph's barrier piece by piece until we could enter the room. We entered as silently as possible, but the red-banded turtle's head snapped up and he was one his feet with his sais drawn in seconds.

"Fast," I breathed as I watched Raph's eyes narrow into slits.

"Get out," our brother hissed from in front of Mikey.

"Raph, we can't do that," Leo argued as he put his hands up to try and soothe our brother, "Father, Donnie, and I want to be able to say goodbye to Mikey. You are robbing us of that right."

OOOO

_Raph's point of view:_

How the hell did they get in here? Damn, Donnie and his too smart mind.

"Ya won't have ta say goodbye ta Mikey because he's goin' ta be fine," I snapped as I took on a fighting stance, "I ain't lettin' any of ya hurt my baby brother."

"I don't have time for this," Donnie growled as he moved forward only to gasp and fall back when I swiped one of my sais at his face only to have it blocked by Leo's katana.

"Raph! What are you doing?" my oldest brother demanded as I continued to push my weight down on his blade.

"I'll take anybody down who tries ta touch Mikey," I hissed angrily.

"Stop!" Donnie ordered as he pushed the two of us away from one another, "Oxygen is extremely flammable! If your two weapons create a spark the whole lair will blow up. That won't help Mikey, Raph."

I dropped my sais just as Leo sheathed his sword, but again I blocked Donnie from reaching our baby brother.

"Get out of my way!"

"No!"

"Raph, Leo and I can take you on. We'll overpower you."

"You can try!"

"Raph, Donnie is only trying to help Mikey. We don't want to fight."

"Then get tha hell out of here!"

"Stop being so pig-headed and let Donnie by."

"Screw you, Leo! And screw you too, Donnie!"

"That's real mature! So you know how to reset the machines that are keeping Mikey alive, do you?"  
I breathed hard as I continued to block my two brothers from reaching Mikey's side. Donnie was right. I had no clue how to work these machines. My mind panicked before I got an idea and grabbed my tallest brother by the arm.

"Ow!" Donnie yelped as I jerked him over to Mikey's bed, "Raph, that hurts!"

"Show me how ta work these!" I demanded as I shook him slightly, "Do it!"

"Let him go," Leo growled as he stalked up and I circled around Mikey's bed to keep him away from Donnie and I.

"Not until he shows me how to work these machines," I denied.

"Raph, this is ridiculous. You're acting crazy," Donnie stated as he tried to get my grip to release him even as I pulled him along to keep away from a snarling Leo.

"I'm actin' like tha big brother I should have acted like before this ever happened ta our Mikey," Raph growled with a look of panic on his face, "I ain't goin' ta lose my baby brother."

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Greasy, Grimy, Gloppy Glue

By:

Me

I own nothing, but myself.

_Leo's point of view:_

This was spiraling more and more out of control. Raph was losing it. His eyes were glazed over and he looked like a cornered animal.

"None of us want to lose Mikey," I soothed, "But hurting Donnie is not going to help our baby brother, Raph. Look at what you are doing."

I watched as those emerald eyes looked at the grip on our little brother's arm. Donnie's arm was already beginning to bruise from the mistreatment to his bicep. Raph's eyes widened and he dropped Donnie's arm in horror.

"I..I need to know how ta work these," Raph breathed out before his knees buckled and he began to fall.

Donnie caught him and eased him to the floor as I circled around and finally reached their side anxiously. Raph was panting as if he was having trouble breathing. What the shell was wrong with our brother?  
"He's having a panic attack," Donnie admitted to the troubled glance I sent in his direction, "Hand me that paper bag over there on the desk."

I retrieved the small bag and handed it to my younger brother. Donnie shook it open and held it to Raph's mouth.

"Breathe, Raph," Donnie instructed, "Come on. Breathe into the bag. Come on, Raphael. Breathe."

Raph shook his head as he continued to struggle to pull in air. I grabbed one of his hands and placed it against my chest.  
"Breathe with me, Raph," I ordered, "Breathe in deeply. Breathe out deeply. Fill your lungs up with mine. Feel my chest rise and fall as I breathe. You can do it."

Raph squeezed his eyes shut for a second, before filling the bag full as he timed his breathing with my own. Donnie looked relieved as our brother finally began to breathe slowly in and out of the paper bag. It took nearly fifteen minutes for Raph's panic attack to end.

"You just scared about ten years off of my lifespan," I informed my red-banded brother as Donnie and I continued to support his weakened frame.

Raph chuckled softly before he leaned his head against Donnie's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Ya too tall, Green Bean," Raph sighed out, "I'm sorry I hurt ya."

"It's okay," Donnie agreed as he put a hand to Raph's forehead and checked his pulse before frowning over at me, "Let's get you on the cot. Your heart rate is a bit too fast."

Donnie and I worked together to move our unresisting brother on the cot that was near Mikey's bed. Raph was pale and silent before his eyes opened and he looked back up at Donnie and I with a pained look on his face.

"Please don't kill Mikey," he pleaded as tears ran from his eyes.

I had never seen Raph look so vulnerable before. I hated it. Our family felt like it was falling apart.

"Calm down," I soothed as I squatted down next to the cot and stroked a hand over his plastron, "We'll talk more later. I think you need some rest."

"And some fluids," Donnie insisted as he came over with an IV bag and placed an IV needle into one of Raph's hands with expert skill, "You've been pushing yourself too hard, Bro. You're dehydrated and not thinking rationally."

I frowned when I saw how worn Raph truly looked. Donnie hung the IV bag on a stand and placed an oxygen mask over Raph's lower face to assist him with his breathing. Thank goodness, the brains of our family had been slowly making and accumulating necessary medical supplies over the years. I watched Raph immediately fall asleep which did not feel natural to me. I looked up in alarm at my younger brother.

"He's going to be okay. I gave him a mild sedative in his IV line," Donnie sighed out as he handed me a full water bottle, "I think we are all on the brink of collapsing. Drink that. I can't have another brother keeling over."

I nodded and guzzled some of the cool water. I looked at Raph before grabbing an extra blanket and covering him with it. I then stood and walking back over to Mikey.

"Hi, Little One," I whispered down to my baby brother using a nickname that the three eldest brothers had used on Mikey when he was a tot, "Did you see how hard your big, brother Raph tried to keep you safe? Made himself collapse. If that isn't love then I don't know what is."

Donnie walked up beside me and leaned against me as we both reached out and stroked Mikey's arm or cheek.

"How is this family going to survive without you?" I moaned before shuddering.

"Sit down, Leo," Donnie ordered as he pushed the stool underneath me, "Finish your water. I'm going to go get Master Splinter."

OOOO

_Splinter's point of view:_

My second eldest explained everything that had occurred as he and I hurried back to the lab. I first checked on Raphael. He was sleeping, but his spirit was troubled. I had never known my son to have a panic attack before…well, except for when it came to bugs. I then hurried over to Leonardo when I realized that Donatello was talking to him, but my eldest was not responding.

"Child, can you hear us?" I asked as Leonardo continued to stare blankly ahead of him, "Leonardo? Leonardo!"

Nothing. The blue-banded turtle remained still and frozen in place with a half-empty bottle of water in one of his hands. Donatello shot me an alarmed look, but I shook my head at him before placing my hand on Leonardo's temple and closed my eyes to call to him internally. I was relieved to hear him take a large gulp of air as he came back to himself.

"Leo!" Donatello gasped as his brother blinked in confusion before the purple-banded turtle turned to me while he retrieved the bottle of water from Leonardo's hand, "What happened to him?"

"Your brother just got lost in his mind for a moment," I instructed before turning to my eldest, "Leonardo, can you hear me now?"

"Yes, Sensei," the blue-banded turtle answered as he tried to stand only to sway before I pushed him back down on the stool, "What's wrong with me? I…I feel dizzy."

"I need you to concentrate on my voice, Child," I ordered as my son's dark, blue eyes locked on my own, "Stay here in this time and place. Do not lose yourself in memories of the past. You will lose touch with reality and this family needs you here."

"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo agreed as he nodded still looking confused while I removed his swords from his back.

"Leo needs to rest like Raph," Donatello stated as he and I assisted Leonardo out to the living room couch to lie down.

I frowned when I saw my son hurry back into the lab and bring out another IV stand. Leonardo didn't even blink when I watched his brother insert the needle into my eldest's hand and secure the needle with medical tape.

"What is that for?" I questioned, "Raphael also had an IV."

"Raph was completely dehydrated and Leo was on the verge. Both needs some fluids," Donnie tiredly informed me as he pulled a blanket over his brother, "I've been so busy taking care of Mikey that I didn't even notice the conditions of my brothers."

"You are not to blame for any of this and you need to rest as well, Donatello," I said as I sat on the arm of the couch and watched Leonardo relax into sleep, "You cannot keep going on fumes alone."

"Just let me reset some of Mikey's machines," my son agreed as he stood, "I've got to set up his feeding tube as well."

"Reset the machines," I ordered as I stood, "Then you drink some water and go to bed. I can set up Michelangelo's feeding tube."

Donatello nodded and wearily trudged into the lab. He had the machines reset in no time and handed me the liquid nutrients that he had been giving to my youngest. Donatello downed two bottles of water as I worked to feed Michelangelo.

"Go sleep," I whispered as I sat next to my baby.

"I'm going to sleep on Leo's futon, Father," Donatello answered me as he pulled out the bedding, "I…I want to be here near Mikey for as long as I…."

I looked down as Donatello choked and turned his large, brown eyes up to me shimmering with tears.

"I want to be near Mikey for as long as I can be," my son finally got out as he swallowed painfully.

I had no words to offer comfort. I merely nodded and watched as Donatello crawled under the covers. I prepared myself to stay up all night with Michelangelo just as I had done for him when he was little and ill. I also wanted as much time as I could have left with my baby.

OOOO

_Donnie's point of view:_

I woke late in the morning when Leo walked into the lab rolling his IV stand into the room. I looked up at him and then over to Mikey's bed to see that Splinter had fallen asleep with his head on the mattress beside our baby brother. I quickly stood and ushered my older brother back out into the living room.

"What is this?" Leo asked as he shook the stand in my direction after I had pushed him back on the couch.

"Do you remember last night?" I offered to him.

I watched as my brother's eyes narrowed in thought before looking back up at me in confusion.

"Raph locked himself in your lab with Mikey," Leo began, "He had a panic attack and you discovered he was dehydrated and practically delirious."

"Yes," I agreed, "Do you remember that you nearly collapsed after that?"

"I did?" Leo questioned in surprise, "I don't remember that at all."

"You were on the verge of dehydration which is why you probably have no memory of what happened to you," I explained as I checked the IV bag, "You have about two more hours to go before the bag is empty. Stay here. I'm going to go check on Raph."

I hurried back into the lab and over to Raphael. My second, oldest brother was in a deep sleep, but his breathing had me a little worried. He still seemed to be struggling just a little too hard to get enough air into his lungs. I pulled out a stethoscope and listened to my brother lungs for several minutes.

"Damn it!" I snapped as I pulled the stethoscope from my ears.

"Donatello?" Splinter said from behind me, "What is wrong with your brother that has you so uncharacteristically using curse words?"

"I think Raph is starting to develop bronchitis again," I sighed out as I stood to retrieve a different IV bag that was full of antibiotics and placed another needle into my older brother's arm, "I should have remembered that when he gets overstressed he tends to be susceptible to illnesses that go straight to his lungs. The bronchitis is not quite full-blown since he hasn't started coughing yet, so I think getting medicine in his system will keep the bronchitis from flaring up."

"Raph is sick?" Leo asked as he walked back into the lab with his IV stand.

"I told you to stay put," I blurted irritably as I pointed a finger over to my desk chair for Leo to go sit down, "Raph's lungs are trying to develop bronchitis, but his panic attack was actually a good thing since I've been able to catch it early enough to get the proper meds in his system."

"Ah," Splinter and Leo said at the same time.

We all chuckled for a second at how similar father was to son. A noise made me look back to Raphael as his green eyes blinked up at me sleepily.

"What tha shell?" Raph groaned through the breathing mask as he reached to remove it.

"No," I warned as I stilled his hand, "Keep that on."

"Not goin' ta happen," the red-banded turtle stated as he sat up and reached for the mask again.

"Stubborn turtle," I groused as I replaced Raph's breathing mask with a breathing tube that I had manipulated so that it could fit into our unique nostrils and taped the tube in place on each side of his head, "You're trying to get bronchitis. I want you breathing as much pure oxygen as possible. Don't get up, don't touch your IVs, and don't remove that tube, got it?"

"Yes, Mother," Raph snapped crossing his arms irritably while looking over at Mikey before noticing Leo, "What…why does Leo have an IV too? What tha shell happened while I slept?"

"Just needed some fluids as well," Leo reassured, "I'm feeling a lot better now. Have you had some water, Donnie? You've been taking care of everyone else. What about you?"

"Father got some water into me last night," I explained, but shushed when Splinter stood.

"I will fix everyone breakfast," our Father offered, "Donatello, keep my chair warm and stay seated. You three still look exhausted. Raphael, if I catch you off that cot then you will be grounded for three months and owe my one hundred flips once you are better."

"Hai, Sensei," Raph agreed and allowed our Father to set up several pillows for him to lean against before Splinter left the room, "This sucks!"

"Yeah," Leo agreed as he rolled himself over beside me in my desk chair with the IV stand, "Good morning, Mikey."

I brushed my hand across Mikey's cheek as my eyes burned once again. I tried to ingrain all of the tiny details that made my baby brother who he was in my mind. I didn't want to forget anything not even a single freckle.

"Can you guys believe that Mikey actually had names for each of his toes?" I chuckled out as I fought the tears.

"Mikey is unique," Leo grinned out before sobering and growing silent.

"Knucklehead has always been good at namin' stuff," Raph quipped smiling bitterly, "Donnie?"

Leo and I both looked over to see Raph looking lost and scared. The breathing tube didn't help the small child image that came to my mind.

"Mikey's really not goin' ta wake up, is he?" Raph asked.

I choked on a sob before nodding my head.

"Yes, Raph," I answered, "He…he's not going to wake up again."

"Oh," Raph breathed looking far away for a moment, "Ya need ta call April. She'd want ta say goodbye."

Leo and I exchanged looks as Raph closed his eyes looking pained. Leo rolled himself over to our brother and held his hand. To my surprise, the red-banded turtle allowed the sign of comfort as his shoulders began to shake from emotions that were bubbling in him.

I called April and she agreed to come by after school so she could say her goodbyes. We had all agreed to turn off Mikey's life support in the evening so that our baby brother could slip away peacefully during the night.

The rest of the day we each took turns spending our last day with our little brother. We talked with him and apologized over and over again for allowing ourselves to use him as a scapegoat for our feelings. We played his favorite music and read him his favorite stories. Splinter had even allowed Raph out of bed for one day only as long as he was still in the lab with his breathing tube and IV attached to his person.

Splinter never left our baby brother's side after he had prepared breakfast. The whole day was heartbreakingly horrible and we all flip-flopped in emotion. Sometimes we felt lighter when we brought up different memories of Mikey and his unique take on life. Then the tears would start again and we would huddle near Raph, who had been forced to stay in my desk chair, trying to gain some comfort from one another. Leo's IV had long since been taken out earlier in the day, but I still worried about his pallor and how when nobody was talking to him he would blank out and have to be touched to bring him back to reality. The behavior had me concerned.

April came and we gave her some privacy to say her farewells. The only one that remained with her and Mikey was Raph since he couldn't leave the lab. April was sobbing when she left Mikey's side and gave each of us a comforting hug before running out of the lair. Finally, the time came to let our baby brother go.

OOOO

_Leo's point of view:_

I leaned over and kissed Mikey on his cheek for the last time. I had already watched my Father and my other two brothers do the same. Father was holding one of Mikey's hands and Raph and I was holding the other when Donnie began to turn off each of the machines that were hooked up to our baby brother.

"It will be only a few minutes now," Donnie choked out as every eye in the room overflowed with tears, "Be free, Mikey. I love you."

"Love ya so much, Mikey," Raph called out as his hand that was holding our brother's hand shook violently.

"Watch over us as our Guardian Angel, Little One," I offered as I shuddered, "I love you, Mikey."

"Be at peace, Michelangelo," Splinter sadly stated, "I love you with all my heart and I will take care of your brothers for you."

We all watched Mikey and the heart monitor as his blood pressure began dropping and the beats of his heart grew slower and slower. Pain like no other blossomed in my gut as I watched my baby brother fading away. I found myself sobbing loudly with my other two brothers before a choking sound made me turn to see Raph trying to suck in some air.

"Donnie!" I yelled as my younger brother toppled and I had to let go of Mikey to catch Raph and ease him to the floor.

"It's another panic attack," Donnie gasped out as he grabbed the breathing mask and placed it over Raph's lower face again, "Breathe deeply, Raph. Mikey wouldn't want you to be this upset."

"Mikey," Raph grunted out as he tried to rise back up even as he frantically gasped for needed air, "Mikey!"

I looked over at the heart monitor and watched as my baby brother's heart rate slowed down further. My vision grew blurry around the edges and I found myself toppling over sideways as someone shouted my name.

OOOO

_Michelangelo's point of view:_

I had been floating in a cold, dark place for a long time now. I had long since stopped hearing Father and my brothers. I had heard every apology that they had said to me in the beginning. It broke my heart that I couldn't reach out and comfort them. I had forgiven them long ago.

"The tugging is becoming strong," I thought to myself as I felt a pull to walk further into the darkness, "I think it is time for me to leave."

I was strangely comforted by the thought of having some peace and quiet. I only wished that I could see my brothers and Father one last time. I blinked when light flooded my surroundings and then gasped at what I was seeing. It was me. I was in a bed and Father was crying over me. Father was also looking very torn as he looked between me and something else on the floor. My heartbeat sped up when I saw Raph laying on the floor with Leo and Donnie leaning over him. Donnie had a really bad looking bruise on his upper bicep.

"What's going on?" I squeaked aloud, "Why is Raph wearing a breathing mask? What's wrong with my brother?"

I crept closer to see that my red-banded brother not only seemed to be having trouble breathing, but there were IVs attached to one of his arms. I couldn't hear anything, but it looked like Donnie was yelling something up to Father and then I froze as I watched Leo fall over in a dead faint.  
"Leo!" I shouted and I could tell by the movement of Donnie's lips that he had shouted our brother's name as well.

I choked as I watched my family falling apart in front of my eyes. This wasn't what I had wanted. I wanted to heal Father and prove to my brothers that I could stand on my own two feet. Now Splinter looked ready to have a heart attack and Donnie was near to having a mental break down as he tried to look after both Leo and Raph.

"Mikey?" a voice called out making me spin to see Leo standing behind me.

"Leo?" I gasped running over, "No! You can't be here. This isn't the place for you yet, Dude."

"Mikey?" Leo asked again before surging forward and pulling me into a hug, "Oh, God! It _is_ you! I have missed you so much, Baby Brother!"

I sniffled as I buried my face against my eldest brother's chest. I never thought I would be able to feel his strong arms around me again.

"I've missed you too," I cried as I snuggled closer before pulling away, "But you have to go back now. Our family needs you."

"No," Leo denied, "Our family needs _you_, Mikey. You are what hold us all together. I won't leave. I can't. I failed you once, but I will never fail you again."

My mouth dropped open in surprise. My family needed _me_? But I had only ever annoyed them.

"Take me!" Leo yelled out to the darkness much to my shock, "Take me instead of Mikey! I'll take his place if someone has to die today! Please let my baby brother live! He is my family's glue!"

"Glue?" I spluttered, "Leo, stop. I won't let you die today."

Leo turned and fixed me with one of his looks. That look that said I-am-the-older-brother-and-leader-and-what-I-say-g oes kind of looks. I walked up to my blue-banded brother and gave him a hug and one of my trademark smiles before I shoved him backwards and out of the darkness.

"Mikey!" Leo screamed as I watched him fall.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Greasy, Grimy, Gloppy Glue

By:

Me

I own nothing, but myself.

_Donnie's point of view:_

I was beyond panicked. Mikey was dying, Splinter was yelling, Raph was trying so hard to breathe, and Leo had passed out.

"No!" I cried as I checked over Leo as Raph choked behind me, "Leonardo! Wake up right now! Don't you dare leave me alone to deal with all of this by myself!"

Leo's skin was pasty pale, but suddenly he jerked up screaming our little brother's name. I gasped and fell over on my bottom before I a new noise joined the chaos. I looked up to see Mikey convulsing on the bed.

"Donatello?!" Father called in distress as he stared at Mikey's thrashing.

"Watch over Raph," I ordered Leo as I shot up and began to examine our youngest brother.

I vaguely heard Raph coughing behind me as Leo murmured soothing words.

"Mikey? What's wrong with him?" I heard my red-banded brother ask and I turned for a second to see Raph leaning weakly against Leo and looking up at our baby brother as our oldest brother continued to hold the breathing mask up against Raph's muzzle.

Mikey continued to thrash and seemed to be choking on the tube down his throat. Silence filled the room as I eased the breathing tube out of Mikey's mouth and throat. To my surprise, Mikey took a breath of air and then another and then another. I looked at the heart monitor and saw that Mikey's blood pressure was evening out. I placed another breathing mask over Mikey's lower face and put my head down on the bed and just wailed.

"Donatello?" Father's voice urged me to look up.

"I don't know how, but Mikey has rallied! He was fighting the breathing tube!" I sobbed out feeling such relief, "He's breathing on his own! Mikey is fighting back! He wants to live!"

I smiled at the cheers that echoed through the room. I stood back up on shaky feet to walk to my brothers and pulled the elastic over Raph's head to hold on the breathing mask. I then lifted Raph and settled him onto his cot.

"He's alive," Raph whispered through the breathing mask, "Told ya so."

"Yeah, you did," I agreed, "I love being wrong in this instance."

"Leo? What happened to him?" Raph asked as he looked over at our brother who had stood and was leaning over Mikey and giving our baby brother a gentle hug.

"I don't know. I'm going to check on him now," I stated, "Rest."

I stood back up and grabbed Leo by the arm and forced him down into my desk chair as he protested weakly. Father had to order Leo to stay still as I examined our leader. I frowned when I found nothing wrong. Leo stroked a hand down my face before crawling up on the bed beside Mikey and falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. None of us were usually so emotional or touchy-feely. We weren't as demonstrative as Mikey, but this whole ordeal had unnerved us brothers terribly and a little affection went a long way to calm the nerves.

"I don't understand," I admitted to Father as we watched over our family, "Mikey was hurt and Raph is sick. What happened to Leo?"

"I think perhaps his heart and soul has been ill," Splinter suggested making me look over at him in surprise as he spread a blanket over Leo's still form and then did the same for Raph, "Leonardo is a lot more spiritually based then you and Raphael. Michelangelo is even more so than his oldest brother. I think this whole time Leonardo has been sending his soul out to search for our youngest and I was so wrapped up in Michelangelo's condition that I didn't pick up on what was occurring under my very nose. I do not think your brother was even aware of what he was doing. Spiritual journeys use tremendous energy. Leonardo must have been fighting exhaustion this whole time."

"And that is why he has been blanking out and growing ill," I agreed nodding, "I had been noticing him losing awareness here and there, but assumed he was just thinking deep thoughts or trying to escape from his pain."

"The family was sick and Leonardo was unconsciously trying to find the piece that was missing," Father explained as he nodded at Leo cuddled against Mikey.

I heard a chuckle coming from Raph and looked to see him push his breathing mask to his forehead.

"Leave it to Fearless to find a way to fight even a coma and death," Raph grinned out as I walked over and placed the mask back over his muzzle.

I returned my brother's relieved smile and began to hum Mikey's favorite lullaby as I kneeled beside his cot. Raph blinked up at me before relaxing and closing his eyes. Today had been some kind of a day.

OOOO

_Raph's point of view:_

It sucks to be sick, let me tell you. I wanted more than anything to be up and about, but I was stuck in bed tucked up under a blanket thanks to Mother-Hen-Donatello. It had been three days since Mikey had rallied. Donnie had happily reported that our baby brother's pupils were reacting to light and his brain waves showed he was just in a very deep, healing sleep at the moment. The problem was that Leo was in a deep sleep as well. Fearless hadn't moved a muscle since that horrible night that we thought we were losing Mikey. I was worried sick.

"Has he moved at all?" Donnie asked as he entered the room with a tray of food for me.

"Not an inch," I denied as I irritably fussed with the breathing tube while I sat up and allowed Donnie to place my lunch tray in my lap, "Why is Fearless out like a light? I've never seen him sleep so still before."

I watched as my first younger brother gazed at Leo as Fearless slept next to Mikey. Brainiac's eyes looked at the new IV that ran into our older brother to give him fluid and nutrients while he slept.

"Father said that Leo has been using up all of his energy in searching for Mikey," Donnie sighed out as I began to eat my lunch, "I guess he pushed through the exhaustion for Mikey and the two of us. It finally caught up with him."

"Ya don't look so hot either," I fussed as I glared up at my purple-banded brother from my cot, "Get some sleep."

"I need to be here if Mikey wakes up," Donnie protested before quieting at the gaze I gave him.

"Then give me my damn phone," I snapped, "Ya've chucked me full of meds so my breathin' is fine now. I'm not coughin' which is what usually wears me out, so I'll stay awake. I'll call you if either Leo or Mikey moves a muscle. I promise."

"Fine," Donnie chuckled out, "Eat you lunch first and I'll have you know that you are not out of the clear yet. Your lungs will need some time to function properly before I'm taking you off the oxygen."

"Yeah. Yeah," I groused as I finished my food, "I still think ya are being overly ridiculous. I'm fine."

"Listen to Donnie, Raph," a voice said from Mikey's bed making Donnie and I snap our attention over to a very much awake Leonardo.

"Leo," Donnie gasped springing over to his side, "How do you feel?"

"Better," our oldest brother admitted as he settled on his back and kept Mikey cuddled up against him, "Mikey?"

"Sleeping," Donnie assured with a smile, "I've taken the cast off of his leg and replaced it with a full leg brace. He will be wearing the brace for a little bit, but he will regain full use of his leg with no lasting repercussions."

"Good," Leo grinned out before looking towards me, "How are you feeling, Raph?"

"Bored, cooped up, irritable," I listed off before grinning, "Happier now that ya're awake and I will be ecstatic when ya tell Donnie and I what the shell happened while ya were passed out."

Leo hummed to himself for a moment before looking back at us with a gentle look in his eyes. It was unnerving to see him looking so worn out and exhausted.

"I found Mikey," our brother explained, "Didn't even realize that I was searching for him until I found him."

"What did you do?" Donnie asked with big eyes as I leaned forward to hear as well.

"I hugged him," Leo admitted, "Mikey tried to tell me that I couldn't be there. That I needed to go back. I couldn't. He was the glue."

"Glue?" I questioned looking in concern at Leo, "What are ya talkin' about? Did ya hit your head when ya fainted like a pansy?"

"Raphael!" Donnie gritted out in warning.

Damn! He could be scary when he wanted to be. Our oldest brother chuckled and shook his head.

"Our baby brother is what keeps this family together," Leo breathed as he looked far away again, "Told the darkness that it could have me instead of Mikey."

Donnie and I sucked in a breath at how far Leo would have gone to protect our youngest. I knew that I would have done the same and so would Donnie.

"Then what happened?" Donnie urged.

"Then Mikey pushed me out of the darkness," Leo chuckled out looking fondly down at our baby brother, "You would have loved it, Raph. I screamed like a girl."

I laughed good and hard as Donnie and Leo joined me. It felt good to have something to smile about again.

"I woke up and you two know the rest. I think that Mikey realize how much he was needed because he came back to us," Leo beamed out before yawning wide behind a fist.

"Go back to sleep," Donnie ordered as he tucked the blanket that had pooled around Leo's lap back up and lowered the hospital bed a little flatter, "Be careful of your IV line. You used up a lot of your electrolytes on these spiritual searches you went on. You need to replenish your reserves."

"I heard something about a certain Dr. Donnie getting some sleep as well," Leo retorted making Donnie blush, "Get some shut eye. Raph or I will call you if Mikey wakes up."

Donnie nodded and he and I watched as Leo fell back to sleep. My younger brother took my lunch tray as he handed me my phone and went to his room to sleep in his actual room for the first time in months. As soon as Mikey woke up everything was going to be okay again.

OOOO

_Michelangelo's point of view:_

I was still drifting in darkness, but it was a lot warmer and I could hear my brother's voices every now and again. I started to become more aware when I heard shouting.

"Why didn't you call me, Donatello?" I heard April shrieking, "I've been suffering alone for four days now thinking that Mikey had died!"

"I'm sorry, April," Donnie responded sounding contrite, "There has been a lot going on over those last few days and…."

"It takes a second to pick up a phone!" April retorted back.

I felt arms pull me closer as a familiar chuckle sent a vibration through me.

"That April certainly has a temper," I heard Leo remark, letting me know that he was the one holding me as Donnie and April continued to fuss in the background, "She is a true redhead."

"Don keeps sayin' that she's not his girlfriend," I heard Raph say from very close by, "The two sound like an old married couple."

I felt immediate concern when I heard my second oldest brother begin to cough softly. The coughs sounded wet to me and that only meant that he was getting sick.

"Raph?" Leo questioned sounding worried.

"Fine," our brother responded as he coughed a couple more times, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

I did feel worried and then listened as Donnie finally lost his temper with his crush.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you, April! However, I have had my goddamn hands full with no help at all!" Donnie yelled loudly, "My baby brother nearly died and I'm worried as shell that he may have brain damage! Raphael is getting sick and I just recently discovered that Leonardo was killing himself trying to find Mikey on the astral plane! I've been a little stressed here, April, and I don't know how much more I can take! Mikey isn't even awake yet and I am terrified that he will wake up with damage I can't fix! So back the shell _off_!"

Silence filled the lair. Donnie sounded close to having a mental break down and I heard him enter the room breathing hard and stomping angrily. Raph was sick and Leo had nearly killed himself? What?!

"Miss O'Neal, I apologize for my son's outburst, but he is a little overwhelmed," I heard Father offer.

"No, I shouldn't have yelled at him," April answered, "Donnie didn't need me acting like this. I'm so sorry for coming in your home and throwing a tantrum."

I listened as Splinter invited April into the kitchen to have some tea.

"Calm down, Donnie," Leo urged from my side, "Come sit with us and relax."

"I yelled at her," Donnie moaned, "I yelled at April."

"Ya put her in her place," Raph growled, "She shouldn't have been talkin' ta my brother like that. Ya have been so strong this whole time, Don, but even a gentle turtle like ya are allowed to have a breakin' point. I know ya have been worried that Mikey would have some problems when he wakes. It's been eatin' at ya. I can tell."

A hitch in Donnie's breath let me know that my brother was nearly in tears. Donnie never cried or got upset like this. I struggled to the surface of the darkness. My family needed me. I must have made a noise because Leo froze next to me.

"Mikey?" Leo asked, "Guys! I think he's trying to wake up!"

"What are you doing?" I heard Donnie growl.

"Standin' up," Raph retorted, "Whoa. Little dizzy here. Help me over ta tha bed, Don. I ain't missin' my baby brother wakin' up."

I continued to try and force my eyes to open as I heard my brothers calling out to me. Encouraged, I finally came aware of myself and fluttered my eyes for a second before I was able to open them fully and look up at my three brothers. I was so happy to see them.

"Mikey!" Donnie gasped as he assisted Raph to sit on the edge of the bed and held one of my hands, "Oh, thank goodness!"

"Hey, Sleepyhead," Leo greeted with a tender smile from beside me as he stroked one of my cheeks, "Took you long enough to open those baby blues."

I blinked in confusion for a second and realized that I had a breathing mask on my face. My brother's chuckled when I looked cross-eyed down at my muzzle. I reached for it, but Raph caught my hand and gently pushed it down.

"Knew you'd come back ta us, Mikey," Raph grinned out, "Leave tha mask alone. You need that right now."

I blinked up at him and noticed that he was also being assisted to breathe with a tube taped across his muzzle. I knitted my eye ridges uneasily. What was going on?

"Calm down, Mikey. Raph's fine," Donnie urged as I shot him a panicked look, "Raph is just trying to take some of your limelight getting himself sick and all."

"I am _not_!" Raph snapped before turning his head and coughing softly for a couple of seconds into one of his fists.

"Hmph!" Donnie snorted before looking back at me, "Follow my finger with your eyes, Mikey. Good! I don't want you talking yet, but can you understand everything that I am saying to you?"

I nodded my head slightly and I watched as my three brothers breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you in any pain?" my purple-banded brother asked.

I blinked up at him as I listened to my body's complaints. I was a bit sore, tired, and very weak, but not in terrible pain. I shook my head and squeezed Donnie's hand to let him know that I was alright.

"I'm so very sorry, Mikey," Donnie whimpered as he hugged me, "I was such an ass to you. I didn't mean a word that I said when Father was hurt."

"We are all sorry," Leo added looking upset, "We acted as horrible brothers."

"Can ya ever forgive us?" Raph asked looking so sad, "I'm so sorry, Baby Bro."

I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them and giving my three brothers a radiant smile through the breathing mask. How in the world could I not forgive them? Look at those faces.

OOOO

_Leo's point of view:_

Donnie ran to retrieve Father and April as Raph and I continued to talk softly to Mikey to keep him awake. He looked weak and tired.

"We've missed you so much," I offered as I rubbed one of his palms.

Mikey flipped my hand over when he noticed the IV needle. He looked up at me worriedly and his eyes held questions.

"I'm fine," I immediately reassured.

"Fearless just sapped himself when he was lookin' for ya while ya were in a coma," Raph explained as he held Mikey's other hand, "Donnie has been takin' care of tha three of us. When Don's on tha job, everything will be okay."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence," Donnie said with a grin as he entered the room with Father and April.

Mikey's eyes filled with tears at the sight of Splinter. Donnie assisted Raph back to his cot as Father nearly flew across the room and pulled our baby into a gentle hug.

"My Michelangelo," Father whispered joyfully with a hitch in his voice, "My sweet child. I have missed you so much."

I knew how safe it felt cradled in those strong arms and I frowned at how small my little brother looked. We were going to have to get some food into his system to get him back to a normal weight. Mikey sniffled for a few minutes before falling asleep in Father's arms with a look of contentment on his face.

"Donnie, would you help me out to the couch?" I asked, "Mikey needs Father close and I'm taking up too much room."

"Leonardo…" Splinter began, but I interrupted him.

"Mikey needs you right now and Raph needs to take a nap since his hands are shaking," I began as my hotheaded brother snorted indignantly, "I will rest on the couch and Donnie and I can answer April's questions. I'm sure she has many."

Father nodded as April looked pleased. Donnie helped me to my feet and guided my steps with strong hands. I walked a bit unsteadily with my IV stand out into the living room. I hadn't missed Raph giving me the middle finger before smiling and leaning back on his cot with a contented face. Sick or not, Raph was still Raph.

"Are you okay?" April asked in concern as Donnie lowered me onto the couch and covered my lap with a blanket.

"I'll be fine," I soothed, "Just did some astral hopping without realizing it and used up a lot of strength. Don's got me on the road to recovery."

Donnie and I sat with April and we answered all of her questions. We admitted our roles in what happened to our Mikey. The redhead was very quiet about it, since both Mikey and Raphael were sleeping, but she gave us quite a tongue lashing. We took our lumps and swore to our human friend that we had truly learned our lesson. April left when I began to yawn. I hated being so weak, but there was no point in fighting sleep. An empty cup remains empty until you fill it.

"Any concerns about Mikey?" I asked Donnie as he tucked me under the covers.

"No," Donnie sighed out in relief, "His reflexes and reactions to us were perfectly normal judging by what he had gone through. He'll be our same old Mikey in no time."

I nodded happily and let myself go to drift off into dreamland.

OOOO

_Donnie's point of view:_

Mikey and Leo continued to improve on a daily basis. Leo bounced back almost immediately. Mikey's recovery would take much longer, but Raph had finally lost his battle to keep from developing full-blown bronchitis. Father and I had moved Raph's personal bed from his bedroom out into the living room and set up Mikey there so that he could watch television and continue to heal. Our red-banded brother was settled into the hospital bed as his coughing fits grew stronger and his fever began to rise at an alarming rate.

"Come on, Raph," Leo urged as he helped our brother sit up and held a medical inhaler to his lips after a particularly harsh round of coughing, "Take some medicine. It will help with your airways."

Raph mumbled for a second before taking a couple of puffs from the inhaler with our older brother's help. I walked over as Leo laid the ailing turtle back down and tucked him under the blankets.

"I was hoping we'd be able to skip this," I admitted as I switched out Raph's antibiotic IV bag and then checked his temperature, "He'll have to start using the breathing mask again instead of the tube if he gets any worse."

Leo frowned and looked over with concern at our brother. Raph was really out of it and sweating profusely.

"You two go out and sit with Michelangelo," Father ordered as he came into the room with some towels and a bowl of water, "Your brother is terrified for Raphael. Go reassure him. I'm going to give Raphael a sponge bath to bring down his fever."

Leo and I nodded and left the lab. We shut the newly attached door so that there wouldn't be any chance of Mikey catching the illness in his weakened condition. It didn't make me very happy to see Mikey looking over at us with frightened eyes.

"R-Raph?" our baby brother asked as he looked up at us fearfully from his pillow.

Mikey had only been awake for a couple of days and still was too thin and weak to be able to move about very much. His speech was a little shaky at the moment, but would get better with time.

"Raph is going to be fine," I assured Mikey, "You know that he's had bronchitis before and healed in a couple of weeks."

"Coughing," Mikey whimpered looking towards the lab, "L-loud."

"Mikey, Raph is going to get better," Leo soothed, "Donnie is taking care of him just like he took care of me. Am I better?"

"Yeah," our baby brother agreed looking much younger than he really was since his eyes were so wide as more coughing could be heard through the door.

"Donnie's helping you get better too, right?" Leo asked as he helped Mikey sit up by propping his pillows up a little more.

"Yes," our brother agreed looking up at me and smiling, "M-moving legs. Arms. Making…not sore."

"So, do you think I'd let anything happen to Raph?" I questioned and smiled as Mikey shook his head back and forth violently, "Don't worry. Raph will be back to his grumpy self in no time and now it is time for you to take a nap."

"Aw," Mikey whined irritably before giggling when Leo crawled onto the bed beside him.

I smiled as Leo cuddled our baby brother close with a wink in my direction before closing his eyes to take a nap as well. Mikey loved to be held and would fall asleep immediately in someone's arms. Our little brother has been that way since he was a baby. Leo was very sneaky and conniving when he needed to be. I walked back into my lab to check on Raph.

"His fever has come down a little," Splinter informed me as he looked at the thermometer in his hand, "This round of bronchitis seems worse than usual."

"I agree," I answered as I checked my brother's pulse, "Raph's system was depleted with him stressing over Mikey. I don't think he was able to fight off the illness as hard as I had hoped he would. Now we can only allow the infection to run its course."

"To your room," Splinter urged as I looked up at him in surprise, "I can feel that Michelangelo's and Leonardo's spirits are at rest. Yours is not. You are reaching your limits, Donatello. Go get some sleep. Raphael is resting peacefully for a change."

I looked and noticed that Father was correct. Raph was sleeping deeply and he didn't look like he was struggling to breathe as badly as before. Hopefully the inhaler could continue to keep Raph's airways open.

OOOO

_Splinter's point of view:_

Raphael continued to worsen with each day. He had officially been ill for ten days now and I was very worried for my child. Usually, the fever would have broken by this time and my red-banded son would be on his way to getting better. Leonardo and Donatello were silently worried and tried to shield my baby, but Michelangelo knew that his second older brother was very sick indeed.

"You must eat, Raphael," I gently instructed as I tried to get my son to eat the soup that I held out to him on a spoon, but the teen kept turning away from me and trying to go back to sleep.

"Raph, listen to Father," Leo urged his brother as Raphael's green eyes looked up at him groggily, "It's your favorite soup. Come on. Just a little bit."

Raphael focused on us before closing his glassy eyes and shaking his head. The fever was making him lose his appetite, but without proper food he was just going to get weaker. It was a vicious cycle.

"Raph, stop being stubborn," Donatello argued as he walked over to the bed and felt Raphael's forehead, "You won't get better if you don't eat. Try for Mikey."

I was encouraged when the ailing turtle opened his eyes and allowed me to spoon some soup into his mouth. Unfortunately, another coughing fit started and Raphael began to choke. Donatello grabbed a wastebasket and hauled his brother upright and slapped him several times on the back of his shell until Raphael was able to hack out some sputum from his lungs into the trash container. My heart went out to my sick son when he vomited several times into the wastebasket until he could only dry heave.

"Rinse your mouth, Raph," Leonardo said as he held a glass of water to his brother's lips and helped him sip in a mouthful.

Raphael did as his brother requested and spit the water with a grimace into the wastebasket before drinking a couple more sips. Leonardo settled his brother back into bed while Donatello examined the contents of the bin. Raphael fell immediately to sleep.

"My son?" I asked as Donatello began to tremble.

"Blood," my purple-banded son squeaked, "He coughed up some blood from his lungs."

"Donnie?" Leonardo questioned as we watched Donatello's eyes widen as he shook.

"I…I can't…" my second youngest stammered looking broken, "I can't do this! I can't…Mikey and Raph. You, Leo! I can't! I _can't_!"

I quickly set the soup aside as Donatello bolted out of the room with Leonardo following after him. It seems like my gentlest son had reached his limits. I hurried after my two children and never noticed two, wide eyes watching me from the living room.

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Greasy, Grimy, Gloppy Glue

By:

Me

I own nothing, but myself.

_Michelangelo's point of view:_

Everything was messed up. Raph and I were sick and Donnie was getting worn down. I just knew that Splinter and Leo would eventually wear out too. I couldn't lay here and do nothing. Squeaking softly, I carefully pulled my IV needle out of my hand. I pushed myself to the edge of my bed and had to manually lift my right leg covered by a brace to the floor. Standing was awful and I had to hold on tight to the edge of the bed as I teetered on weakened muscles. I felt miserable and dizzy, but my family needed me.

"Okay, Mike," I thought to myself, "You can do this. You got out of the Kraang's headquarters and you were much worse than you are now. Move it."

I hopped on one leg about a foot and was able to grab onto a back of a chair. I panted as if I had run a mile. Slowly, I made it to the lab door and had to rest against the doorframe. Raph was in the bed looking just awful.

"Raph?" I called out softly as I hobbled from one piece of furniture to another, "Raphael?"

I finally reached the edge of his bed and called out his name again. My older brother opened his eyes and looked at me groggily before gasping and pushing himself up a little straighter. Awareness flooded his face as he looked at me with panic.  
"Mikey?" Raph whispered weakly before turning and coughing a little, "What tha hell are ya doin' out of bed?"

"Came. Raph," I answered trying to get my words out right, but standing was tiring and I was beginning to shake badly.

"Get up on the bed, Knucklehead," my brother muttered as he scooted over and I gratefully sat on the edge with Raph trying to assist me as best as he could, "Donnie is goin' ta have my hide if ya catch bronchitis."

I reached a trembling hand out and felt my brother's forehead. He was still overheated and I had heard everyone trying so hard to get some nourishment into Raph. I licked my lips and tried to speak again.

"Raph, sick," I began as my brother nodded at me, "Need eat. Get better for Donnie, Leo, Father, and me. Not want you sick. Want you better."

Raph looked at me somberly as I reached for the bowl of soup by his bed. I was annoyed that the bowl felt heavy, but I pushed through and placed it on the bed.

"Raph, eat," I pushed again and held out the trembling spoon to my brother's lips, "Making sad you sick. Get better."

I smiled brightly when Raph opened his mouth and accepted the spoonful of soup. Raph smirked at me and ate the next spoonful of soup that I held out to him as he gently patted my knee. It felt good to be able to help.

OOOO

_Leonardo's point of view:_

Father and I were able to talk Donnie out of his room. My poor brother was skittish and at his wits end, but he pulled himself together and insisted on going back down to care for Raphael.

"I'm sorry for my outburst," Donnie apologized as he looked sheepish, "I panicked when I saw the blood in the sputum, but that is pretty normal with bronchitis. I just don't understand. I'm doing everything I usually do when Raph gets sick and nothing seems to be working."

"We'll figure it out, Child," Splinter assured as he gave Donnie a squeeze on his shoulder, "I am very proud of how hard you have been working at taking care of your brothers. Now let us not leave our Raphael alone any longer. We need to get him to eat or he will not get well."

However, the three of us froze out in the living room when we noticed that Mikey was not in his bed and his IV needled was dripping away on the floor. I pointed at the open lab door and we rushed to the door and froze again.

"My God," Donnie whispered as we watched Mikey feeding Raph spoonful after spoonful of soup, "Will you look at that. How did he get in here?"

Raph looked a lot more awake and he was smiling slightly as Mikey tried to talk with him as best as our baby brother could with his impaired speech. Donnie had assured us that Mikey's normal dialect would return once he strengthened. Mikey looked exhausted and shaky, but seemed determined to get every drop of that soup into his brother.

"You see?" I asked Donnie as he looked at me in confusion, "Glue. That's what has been missing. Raph is going to get better now. The glue is putting him back together."

Donnie smiled softy while we continued to watch as Mikey set the empty bowl to the side and yawned sleepily. I entered the room as my baby brother looked up at me fearfully.

"Don't ya dare yell at him, Fearless," Raph croaked out as he narrowed his eyes at me.

Felt really good to hear some of that hotheaded attitude again. I hate when Raph gets sick and he's not himself. The world doesn't feel right without his snarky comments.

"Not planning on it," I stated as I helped Mikey put his braced leg on the bed and covered him up next to Raph, "Mikey is still having trouble regulating his temperature. I think if he stays with you then he will be warmer."

"Mmhm," Raph agreed as he put an arm around our beaming, baby brother, "I'll keep ya warm, Knucklehead."

"Kay," Mikey agreed as both he and Raph drifted to sleep.

Donnie walked over with Mikey's IV stand and gently inserted a fresh needle into our baby brother's hand. He then checked Raph's temperature and smiled.

"The fever seems to be coming down," my younger brother whispered, "Raph looks like he is fighting to turn the corner, but I'm going to skin you alive, Leo, if Mikey gets sick."

"I do not think that Michelangelo will catch this illness," Splinter soothed, "It seems like he is actually chasing it away."

OOOO

Epilogue:

_Raph's point of view:_

"Thank you, Donnie!" I exclaimed as I rubbed at my itchy muzzle after he had removed that damn breathing tube, "That feels good. Mmm."

My brothers laughed as I rubbed at my snout. I was nearly completely over my bronchitis. Mikey had been allowed to stay with me and his happy chirping had been music to my ears over the past two weeks as his sunny-light helped me get stronger.

"You're going to rub your lip off," Mikey giggled from beside me as I leaned back in the bed we were sharing and enjoyed the fact that my little brother could talk in complete sentences again.

"Nope," I denied as I knuckled the top of his head gently, "Lip's still there."

"This does not mean that you are off bed rest," Donnie ordered me with narrowed eyes, "I'm keeping the fluid IV going for a couple of more days just to make sure you don't get dehydrated."

I rolled my eyes as I leaned back huffily.

"How tha shell can I get dehydrated when Mikey keeps forcin' food and water on me?" I demanded as my baby brother looked at me innocently.

Leo shared a grin with me at the memories of all Mikey had done to help me get better. My fever finally had broken, but I had little appetite. Mikey refused to eat or drink anything unless I ate and drank the same amount. Kid really stuck to it and I knew that he couldn't afford to lose any more weight. I had no choice, but to eat and it seemed to make Mikey happy so, whatever.

"Good job, Mikey," Leo congratulated our little brother, "You certainly stick with it when you put your mind to it."

"That's because I'm just that awesome," Mikey playfully bragged before frowning when he looked up at a frozen Donnie.

We all looked in concern at our resident genius. The purple-banded brother walked back over and sat on a second stool next to the bed that Mikey and I were lying in.

"Mikey, you do persevere through thick or thin," Donnie began, "I've been wanting to ask you this since you woke up. Do…do you remember what happened when you went after the antidote for Father?"

I froze at my brother's question before exchanging glances with Leo. Mikey was silent for a couple of minutes before nodding once.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Donnie pushed as Leo and I leaned forward to hear.

"Um…I was upset and scared," Mikey started as he curled in on himself before relaxing when I put an arm around his shoulders and Donnie and Leo each held one of his hands, "I didn't want Father to die and I thought maybe I could fit into the ventilation shaft and get to the antidote without being detected since I'm like the smallest of the four of us."

"But that didn't happen," Leo stated as he closed his eyes with a pained look on his face.

"No," Mikey agreed, "I was small enough to fit inside, but I didn't think that maybe I was too heavy for the shafts that were only attached by screws in the ceiling. The ventilation shaft held for me to reach the antidote, but crashed down with me in it on the way back."

Donnie sucked in a harsh gasp.

"You fell a long way down, didn't you?" Don questioned and hissed when Mikey reluctantly nodded his head, "That was probably when you damaged your rib cage."

"The fall really hurt. I think that is when I hit my head too," Mikey admitted, "I was so confused and there was so many Kraang-bots firing at me. I just remember thinking that I can't allow anything to happen to the antidote vial. I ran and fought and the lasers burned so bad. I took out a lot of the bots, but there was so many and their weapons hurt me."

I growled loudly and pulled Mikey closer to my side. I noticed how angry Leo and Don were as well.

"My head hurt so bad I could hardly think and I was having a lot of trouble breathing," Mikey continued, "I got out of the building by jumping and I think I may have fallen badly because my leg hurt, but I just kept running until I reached a manhole. Then I kept coughing up blood and forced myself to make it home for Father and…."

"And?" Leo prompted our baby brother as he stayed silent with his head down.

"And I wanted to prove to you three that I was a good ninja and could stand on my own two feet," Mikey moaned as he looked away from us sniffling, "I…I wanted to still be a part of the team and I didn't want you to hate me."

Leo leaned back in horror as I froze at our sweet, Mikey's words.

"Never!" Donnie stated as he turned Mikey's head to look directly at him and he used his thumbs to wipe away our baby brother's tears, "We could never, ever hate you. I know we have all apologized over and over again to you, but please know that our words were the most asinine bunch of spewed _bullshit_ that has ever existed."

My eyes widened to comical proportions as Leo's mouth dropped open in shock.

"_Damn_, Donnie," I gasped, "I never knew ya had it in ya! I'm so proud right now."

Mikey laughed hard and we all joined in and ended up in a sappy, sweet group hug. Gag me with a maggot, but thank God I had three to hug and not just two.

"I've got something for you, Mikey," Donnie grinned out as he stood and came back with a familiar, orange mask, "I've made you a new mask. You're old one was not salvageable. Can't have one of the turtles on our team improperly dressed, can we?"

I grinned when Mikey sat up eagerly to allow Donnie to tie his mask back in its proper place. Leo beamed up at our baby brother as Donnie sat back down and smiled happily.

"We are so glad you are still here with us," Leo offered as he wiped at the moisture in his eyes.

"Well, you haven't heard your punishments yet," Mikey chirped as he leaned back looking evil.

We all looked in alarm at our baby brother. What did he have up his Prank-en-stein sleeve now?

"Leo you are punished by always having to hug me whenever I need it and giving me cuddles," Mikey growled with a severe look on his face and sparkling, blue eyes, "You also have to read my comic books to me at least once monthly with the cool voices you do."

"I'll cleanse my tarnished honor by accepting my punishment graciously," Leo agreed with a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Donnie you have to help me get better and tell me stories whenever I want you too," Mikey ordered, "Oh…and you have to take a lot of breaks from your work to rest and eat. And I better get plenty of hugs and cuddles from you too."

"If I must," Donnie smiled out, "I guess I need to cleanse my tarnished honor as well."

"And, Raph," Mikey giggled out, "You have to get better and play videogames with me whenever you have a break. You are not the huggy-cuddly type, but I insist on a hug every now and again. You also have to chase all of the monsters away when I have nightmares because I don't like being scared."

"I can do that," I said as I nodded, "But ya have to promise to never, _ever_ go off and do anythin' by yourself like you did with tha Kraang. Not one of us like when ya are hurt and scared either, ya got me?"

"I promise," Mikey beamed out at all of us happily, "Can we get some pizza now? I'm starving!"

"I get it now, Fearless," I snorted as Leo looked at me in confusion, "Glue. Greasy, grimy, gloppy, glue. We can't live without it."

Leo and Donnie grinned and nodded while our baby brother looked confused. I swear I've never seen such a contented smile on all of our faces as Mikey continued to chirp happily within our circle. Father peeked his head inside of the lab and nodded at us peacefully before taking his leave. The wall between Father and Donnie, Leo, and myself had come down with the twinkling of blue, mischievous eyes.

I still needed to completely recover and Mikey was facing several weeks of rehabilitation, but our family was going to be just fine and even stronger than before. We had glue to reinforce our bonds.

The end.


End file.
